


Stuck in Austria

by Anonymous



Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Drunken Kissing, Episode: s01e10 Points, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:00:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29944149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Tab starts worrying about Shifty, but some awkward miscommunication keeps him from doing anything helpful. A drunk Shifty ends up taking matters into his own hands.
Relationships: Shifty Powers/Floyd Talbert
Kudos: 11
Collections: Heavy Artillery Rare Pair Exchange 2021





	Stuck in Austria

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Howling_Harpy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howling_Harpy/gifts).



Shifty’s quiet stoicism always surprises Tab. No matter the situation, no matter how many people are firing on their position, Shifty never flinches. He always does the right thing. He is never too scared to pull the trigger. 

So when Luz comes back from a hunt in Austria and tells him about how Shifty wouldn’t shoot a deer, something just doesn’t seem right. Tab tries to get more info out of Luz, but he doesn’t know what happened. With Shifty, it’s hard to tell because he never talks much, but maybe he's feeling as lost as the rest of them. The least Tab can do is try to be a good friend. 

Tab finds Shifty sitting on a rock, looking out at the bright blue lake. He has his shirt off already, like maybe he is getting ready to take a swim.

“Hey, Shifty. How’s it going?”

Shifty looks over and smiles at him. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it Tab?” 

Tab keeps his eyes on the lake. There’s no reason to let his gaze wander. “If we have to be stuck somewhere, might as well be here.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Shifty’s smile fades and he looks back out over the water. Tab tips his head, wondering what he said wrong.

Shifty stands up and walks out onto the sand, his back glistening in the sunlight. 

“Well, uh. I guess I’ll see you around?” Tab says, feeling awkward. He hasn’t been invited, so he doesn’t want to keep intruding. 

“Okay,” Shifty says as he looks back over his shoulder at Tab. He’s smiling softly, but he’s probably just being polite. Tab awkwardly waves before walking back the way he came.

\---

Things turn around later, when the whole platoon is gifted some of the finest wine and whiskey the Nazi party had to offer. Rumor has it that Nixon is the one in charge of the distribution, but Tab doesn’t much care about the details once he’s four drinks in.

Luz has been roasting everyone all night, finding weak spots to poke and prod. It’s basically his super power, and for the most part it’s harmless fun.

That is, until he starts asking Tab about Shifty. It gets fuckin’ personal real fast.

“Luz, can you keep your voice down?” Tab hisses under his breath.

“Oh, c’mon Tab. He’s right over there! And he’s having a great fuckin’ time! Just go over there instead of moping around.” Luz gestures wildly at Shifty and laughs.

“Fuck you. I never should have told you a goddamn thing,” Tab whispers. 

“Yeah, probably not.” Luz claps him on the shoulder and takes a swig from the wine bottle he’s holding. “But I could use the entertainment.” 

Tab rolls his eyes and shrugs off Luz’s hand. He definitely does not have to indulge him any further. Tab isn’t drunk enough for this shit.

He chugs the rest of his own wine bottle, and then drops the bottle into the crate they’ve been using to stack bottles. He pulls out a cigarette, and walks away from the bonfire to light it up.

He takes a deep drag, and exhales slowly. The booze is starting to hit him, and he feels pleasantly light. He tries to forget about Luz’s teasing. After all, there’s nothing he can do about it. Sometimes Tab asks after Shifty, that’s all. Tab knows that he's not supposed to want a man the same way he's supposed to want a woman, and he’s not trying to fuck up the status quo. He’s just lonely and horny and war is hell.

He takes another drag, and as he blows out the smoke, he sees Shifty walking towards him with his own cigarette in hand.

“Could I get a light?” He asks, his voice quiet. 

Tab obliges, glad his hand doesn’t shake as he leans over and holds out the lighter. He flicks it on, and Shifty’s face is illuminated by the flame. He’s looking at Tab intently, and Tab shivers. 

“Sorry you can’t go home. You know, because of the points situation,” Tab says once Shifty’s cigarette is lit.

Shifty shrugs and takes a drag. “It’s been so long since I’ve been home, I’m not even sure what home is like.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Tab says as he watches the smoke curl away from Shifty’s mouth.

“You didn’t have to leave me alone at the lake,” Shifty drawls. He’s looking out at the woods, so Tab can’t read his face.

“Yeah?” Tab says, unsure of what exactly Shifty means. 

Shifty tilts his head and holds his cigarette out in front of his face. He bites his lip and then sighs. “I see the way you look at me.” 

Tab freezes with his cigarette inches from his own mouth. If he wasn’t feeling drunk, he probably would have taken off in the other direction right then and there. Nothing good can come from Shifty’s words. But Shifty is still watching him, and Tab kind of likes the attention.

“And how do I look at you?” He presses. He takes another drag from his cigarette. The tobacco smoke fills up his lungs and makes him feel a little light-headed. He watches Shifty smile. 

“Just like you’re doing right now,” Shifty says, sounding a little breathless. 

“Did you want to do something about it?” Tab asks. He only has a moment to pull the cigarette away from his mouth before Shifty makes his move.

He presses his lips against Tab’s, rough and quick like he’s in a hurry. Tab huffs out a surprised laugh, but Shifty bites at his bottom lip and that shuts Tab up. Tab should have known Shifty would be direct with what he wants, at least when his guard is down. It’s always the quiet ones. Tab thinks maybe Luz told him that.

It doesn’t matter now, though, because Shifty is still pressing against Tab’s mouth. His tongue smooths Tab’s lower lip, and Tab’s mouth drops open for Shifty to press inside. He tastes dark and mysterious, like a good bourbon. He also tastes gritty like tobacco and wild like the woods. Tab presses back, trying to give as good as he’s getting. He’s worried that the angle is too severe, so he uses the hand not holding the cigarette to grab at Shifty’s waist and pull him closer. 

Shifty moans under his mouth, and Tab feels himself getting hard. He pushes up against Shifty’s thigh, and Shifty pushes back against Tab until the head of Tab’s dick catches against something and the friction sends sparks up Tab’s spine.

He has the vague sense that he should probably feel ashamed for rutting up against Shifty like this, in the woods where anyone could walk up and catch them, but the booze is doing its job. Tab doesn’t feel worried or anxious. His focus is on the wet slide of Shifty’s tongue and the delicious friction against his hard cock. 

“Didn’t know you’d…” Tab stumbles over his words as he pulls back to take a breath. The light from the tip of his cigarette casts a strange shadow across Shifty’s chin, and Tab can hear him breathing hard as they rest their foreheads together. 

“Don’t go getting all sappy on me,” Shifty drawls. 

Tab huffs a laugh just to try to release the tension. It doesn't work. He shivers when Shifty brings his own cigarette to his lips to take a drag. They’re so close together that Shifty has to keep the cigarette pointed to the side to avoid burning Tab. Tab watches the way his lips close around the tip of it, and the light illuminates how dilated Shifty’s eyes are. 

When he moves the cigarette away, he slowly opens his mouth to let smoke spill out. It seems to curl around Tab and dance against his lips before being blown away by the breeze, and Tab wonders when in the hell Shifty had time to become such a flirt. 

“I probably should be going,” Shifty says, without moving away. “You know, before anyone sees.” 

Shifty holds his cigarette away from his face and leans in for another kiss. Tab is eager for it. It’s like he’s addicted already. Shifty tilts his head a little, and Tab can’t help the embarrassing moan that escapes from his throat. 

Shifty is the one to pull away next, his breathing harsh and shallow. He puts his cigarette between his lips and squeezes Tab’s hand briefly. Then he turns and walks away so abruptly that Tab doesn’t have a chance to say anything. Tab raises his fingers to his lips, to feel how swollen they must be. That’s the only proof that anything even happened at all. 

It’s not like Shifty ever said anything about going steady, or even kissing on the regular. For all Tab knows, Shifty is just an extra friendly drunk. Tab knows better than to count on something that won’t come to pass. But it would have been nice to know where Shifty stood on the matter. As it is, Tab’s chest aches with how much more he _wants_.

He raises his cigarette to his mouth as a consolation prize, only to realize it has burned down to a nub.

\---  


It’s probably written all over Tab’s face, what happened the night before. Anyone looking at him would probably start asking questions. Tab feels different, and he doesn’t want to have to explain himself. So he heads down to the lake just as dawn breaks to sort himself out.

Tab looks out at the shimmering water, gets an idea, and then scoops up a handful of pebbles before he walks down to the pier. He sits down at the edge, and digs a pebble out of his jacket pocket to try and skip along the surface. It only makes one hop before it sinks, but Tab wasn't really trying.

He thinks about what it means to admit he wants to kiss Shifty again. He’s done everything that’s been asked of him, and now that the war is nearly over, he shouldn’t feel bad about something so beautiful as a kiss. In the midst of all the violence, surely he should get to have just one thing that’s good and sweet. He can keep it to himself, but at least he doesn't have to feel guilty.

He hears footsteps coming up the pier behind him, but he doesn’t turn around. He takes out another pebble and throws it harder. This one skips twice before it sinks.

Once the person next to him sits down, Tab looks over. To his surprise, it’s Shifty, and he’s got a small smile on his face.

Tab looks back out at the water, but the silence starts to eat at him.

“So, are we okay?” Tab asks as he takes another pebble from his pocket.

“I’d say that depends on you,” Shifty says slowly. 

“I think _you_ kissed _me_ ,” Tab points out. He throws the pebble, but he’s not concentrating on his form and the pebble immediately sinks.

“Alcohol gives me courage,” Shifty says with a shrug. 

“You and everyone else,” Tab points out. 

Shifty laughs, and he looks so innocent compared to the way he’d looked the night before, when his eyes had been so dark and intent. He's no less beautiful, but Tab can’t quite reconcile the two different versions. 

Shifty holds out his hand as he nods at the water, and Tab gets the hint. He places a smooth pebble into the palm of Shifty’s hand, and lets his fingers linger there. Shifty closes his hand around the pebble and around Tab’s fingers, and Tab laughs. 

Even when Shifty is quiet like this, Tab finds that he doesn’t mind. 

“You’re so easy to be around,” Tab starts to say. “But you’re a mystery to me.” 

Shifty throws his pebble, and it skips four times before it sinks. Tab is immediately impressed. He should have known the Virginia country boy could skip rocks just as good as Tab himself.

“I like you,” Shifty says quietly. But loud enough for Tab to catch it.

Tab sucks in a breath and bites at his bottom lip. Maybe this whole thing could be simpler than he thought it would be. Especially if Shifty is just going to put it all on the line like that.

“Me too,” Tab admits, his voice cracking a little on account of his nerves. He swings his legs back and forth, knocking his heels against the wooden dock. “I liked the kissing.”

Tab looks over and watches Shifty smile. He holds out his hand for another pebble, and Tab obliges.

“I could tell,” Shifty says with a grin. He bumps his shoulder against Tab’s, and then throws his pebble. It makes six skips before it sinks.

Tab groans, but he’s mostly joking when he says, “Is there anything you’re not good at?” 

Shifty bumps Tab’s shoulder again. “You ain’t so bad yourself.”

Tab figures he’s talking about the kissing. He _hopes_ Shifty is talking about the kissing. 

The next time Shifty gestures for a pebble, Tab leans back on his palms and grins. Shifty catches on pretty quick, and reaches his hand into Tab’s jacket. The only sound for a while is the plink of the pebbles sinking into the lake. 

It's a selfish thing to think, but Tab is glad they got stuck in this place together. They finally have time to make something beautiful, and Tab hopes it will last.


End file.
